Historic Profile: Noted for its "elaborate surface decoration and evocative, romantic image rather than structural innovation," the Y.M.C.A. Central Building was completed in 1919. As part of a wave of post World War I construction in the central business district, the 12-story tower helped to define the Minneapolis skyline until the 1950s. While the tower employs the common "Wedding Cake" mode – composed of distinct layers, including a base, shaft and top – an innovative use of gothic motifs distinguishes it from other buildings. Gothic detailing was chosen by prominent local architects Louis L. Long and Lowell Lamoreaux for several reasons. On one hand, the detailing emphasized the building’s verticality, a desired symbol of corporate power. On the other, the Gothic detailing, with its symbolic association with churches, fit with the Y.M.C.A.’s value system.